Donna Kallner Fiber Art
ancient techniques
with a modern twist
Let's give old ideas a new spin.Copyright 2009-2015
all rights reserved

Search This Site

Search for:

What Do You Do At A Crossroads?

This week I’ve been banging my head against a brick wall of tech challenges. I couldn’t get through, go over, or sneak around that wall. So I’m giving magical thinking a shot: Maybe what feels like a brick wall is really a crossroads? And maybe I should make a turn?

Crossroads by Donna Kallner

Crossroads is also the name of a piece I shipped this week for the Teachers’ Exhibit at Midwest Weavers Conference in Emporia, Kansas.

Bringing together people from different places with different ways of doing things to trade ideas and resources: That’s the ancient tradition carried on by events like this conference. To celebrate that, I combined my own basswood fiber (harvested in northern Wisconsin and twisted into cordage) with handspun tassar silk and fique (a pineapple fiber) from Habu Textiles. The flat elements were woven on a simple pin loom I made myself. The pieces are joined at the edges and rimmed with cross-knit looping, a single-element construction technique that may be even older than loom weaving.

At lunch, I emailed our county’s economic development director to get recommendations on who to contact for help with my tech woes. She’s pretty good at bringing together resources. By this time next week, I’m hoping all the loose ends I’ve been struggling with are neatly joined together.

But there may still be some construction delays ahead.

Published by

Donna Kallner

fiber artist, teacher and explorer, inspired by ancient fiber techniques and all the ways contemporary fiber artists give old ideas a new spin
View all posts by Donna Kallner

Crossroads is a beautiful piece. I understand your frustration with technology. I also understand about being at a crossroad. I just went to college at 43. I have a terrible time because of my lack of tech skills and I have no time to create anymore, which is crushing me. But, I have learned a few things tech and I’ve made contacts with a great kid who is a tech genius. What is the tech problem? I may be able to put you in contact with someone who can help.

What a great new adventure for you to begin college in your 40s, Kathy! My new adventure is using Moodle as a learning management system on a self-hosted site. After a couple of days of dyeing and gardening, my attitude is adjusted enough for me to take my problems to the help forums — even if they sound stupid. Honestly, it’s probably like getting into a cab and giving an address that turns out to be a block away: I’m that close, but can’t quite get to the solution.

If some fairy godmother ever asks me what I want, I’m saying, “an IT department.”